Transport stress induces neuro-immune dysregulation and exacerbates Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in mice

This study revealed that transport stress (TS) suppresses immune function and exacerbates Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection. TS induced anxiety-like behaviors, disrupted HPA axis homeostasis, and disturbed hormone secretion and stress-related gene expression. Single-cell RNA sequencing of the spleen showed that TS inhibited Th17 differentiation, IL-17 signaling, and antigen presentation, and interfered with HPA axis–spleen crosstalk via ligand–receptor interactions. I played a leading role in conducting data analyses, generating visualizations, and preparing figures for this project.